Consequences
by Tempest2004
Summary: Ardeth's desicion to help the O'Connells affects his personal life. Set before, during and after TMR. Songfic, Oneshot. Please R&R!


Wow, it's been a while since I posted in here. I hope you guys like this. I usually nail the song, but for this I couldn't think of any song I liked better than 'The Beaches of Cheyenne' by Garth Brooks. So, If you flame, I'll use it for Sasafras steaks. Happy Memorial Day!

Disclaimer: I only own Arania, her mother, her father and Baltan. Everything else belongs to Stephen Sommers. And the song belongs to Garth Brooks and his label.

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"You should not have to go! You are the Chieftain of our tribe. You must delegate!" Arania Bay snarled to her husband, arms crossed and eyes flashing a fiery defiance.

"Arania, my love, I wish I didn't have to. But I must. No one knows more about them then I do. Besides, they are friends of mine. I do not wish to let them down." Ardeth said, stepping forward, reaching for his wife, lover and best friend.

"Then do not expect me to be here when you return." she snapped and stalked out of the tent. Ardeth followed but she was gone when he emerged.

"Smooth." Baltan commented and grinned in response to his friend and chieftain's glare of death.

"Shut up, Baltan." Ardeth snapped after a moment, walking back into his tent, followed by Baltan's loud laughter.

_They packed up all his buckles_

_And shipped his saddle to his dad_

_And by the way the house looked_

_She must have took it bad_

_The workers come on Monday_

_To fix the door and patch the wall_

_They say she just went crazy_

_The night she got the call_

The other women in the camp winced at the piercing scream that echoed as Arania trashed the tent she shared with her beloved husband.

"Arania, this is not how a faithful wife acts." Arania's mother said gently. Arania whirled on her.

"If my husband were faithful then perhaps I would not act like this." She growled and stalked off into the desert.

_He was up in Wyoming_

_And drew a bull no man could ride_

_He promised her he'd turn out_

_Well it turned out that he lied_

_And all the dreams that they'd been livin'_

_In the California sand_

_Died right there beside him in Cheyenne_

"Ardeth, are you okay?" Evy asked, sitting next to the brooding Medjai. He looked up at her and offered a weak smile.

"Not really, I think my wife left me." he said, forcing a weak chuckle. Evy slipped an arm around his shoulders and offered a one armed hug. 

"I can't imagine any woman leaving as wonderful a man as you." Evy said reasurringly. Ardeth nodded, silently wishing he was so certain.

_They say she just went crazy_

_Screamin' out his name_

_She ran out into the ocean_

_And to this day they claim_

_That if you go down by the water_

_You'll see her footprints in the sand_

_'Cause every night she walks the beaches of Cheyenne_

"Where is she?" Ardeth demanded, walking into his mother-in-law's tent. She jumped and placed a hand over her heart.

"Ardeth, you scared me." she admonished and cringed as he loomed angrily over her.

"Where. Is. She?" he bit off each world impatiently.

"Dead." Marcellus Dori answered coming up behind his son-in-law. Ardeth turned slowly, tears already forming.

"No." he whispered quietly.

_They never found her body_

_Just her diary by her bed_

_It told about the fight they had_

_And the words that she had said_

_When he told her he was ridin'_

_She said then I don't give a damn_

_If you never come back from Cheyenne_

"Truth is, my friend, she vanished into the desert. She left the day you did and we have not seen her since." Baltan said as Ardeth stared into the desert.

"And we both know that no one could survive that long in this desert." Ardeth said, adding the words Baltan refused to add himself.

"Is there anything I can do?" Baltan asked after a moment. Ardeth didn't respond, just walked back to his tent.

_They say she just went crazy_

_Screamin' out his name_

_She ran out into the ocean_

_And to this day they claim_

_That you can go down by the water_

_And see her footprints in the sand_

_'Cause every night she walks the beaches of Cheyenne_

"Ardeth? Has Imhotep come back _again_?" Rick asked exasperatedly, ready to chase the mummy down and throttle him barehanded. At least until he noticed the look of abject misery on his friends face.

"I...I was wondering if I could stay here a while." Ardeth asked. Rick nodded and helped him inside.

_Nobody can explain it_

_Some say she's still alive_

_They even claim they've seen her_

_On the shoreline late at night_

_So if you go down by the water_

_You'll see her footprints in the sand_

_'Cause every night she walks the beaches of Cheyenne_

Evy walked down the hall from her room to the sound of the crying that echoed in the quiet, rather lonely halls. She stopped in front of Ardeth's door after identifiying it as the source of the sound. She knocked quietly, but recieved no answer. She gently pushed it open and found Ardeth sitting on his bed, knees drawn up under his chin and crying softly. Evy wrapped her arm around him and let him cry for his wife on her shoulder.

_Every night she walks the beaches of Cheyenne_

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The End

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Please R&R!


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